


The Daily Grind

by tinylilremus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Cute little notes, Kind and Adorable Sirius, M/M, Socially Anxious Remus, basically just pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinylilremus/pseuds/tinylilremus
Summary: Sirius, a new barista, finds himself fascinated with one of the customers. When James tells him that his name is Remus Lupin and that he suffers from severe social anxiety, Sirius finds a creative way to get to know him.





	

Sirius has been working at The Daily Grind for just six days when he sees him for the first time. He’s pale and thin with dark rings under his eyes that make him look like he hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years and is wearing baggy ill-fitting clothes that look like they might have been fashionable two decades ago. Ordinarily he’s the kind of customer Sirius would see one moment and completely forget about the next, but for some reason, this man grabs his attention and keeps it.

“That’s Remus Lupin,” says James, following his gaze across the quiet coffee shop. “He’s a good friend of Lily’s. Comes in here every once in awhile for coffee, but never orders. He’s got serious social anxiety apparently. Lily used to take his order to him. I thought he’d stop coming now that Lils has gone off to chef school but looks like the coffee here is just that good.”

Sirius glances back to where Remus is sitting and is surprisingly pleased when he realises Remus is looking right at him. It lasts less than a second as Remus quickly averts his gaze to stare at a patch of table in front of him. He looks mortified.

“Well, Lils has put me on official Remus delivery duty, so I’d better get to it,” says James, setting to work on his coffee.

“I’ll take it to him,” says Sirius, still watching Remus. He’s not sure why he’s volunteering other than perhaps wanting to see the man a bit closer up. The more Sirius looks at him, the more he realises that despite how fatigued and worn he looks, he’s actually pretty cute.

“You sure?” asks James. “I mean, he’s properly scared of people. He probably won’t even look at you. It took me ages to get a smile from him.”

Remus is scrolling through his phone but doesn’t seem to be focused on it and Sirius wonders if it’s a coping mechanism.

“I have a plan,” says Sirius, taking the empty cup from James, grabbing a marker and writing a quick note on the plain white surface.

_Hey there_

_I’m a friend of James and Lily (more James than Lily though). He tells me your name is Remus? That’s a pretty badass name. Mine’s Sirius, if you were wondering. I’ve heard that you’re a little nervous around people, so I thought I’d take some of the pressure off by not doing that awkward barista/customer small talk thing and just giving you this instead._

_A random fact I learned today: house flies buzz in the key of G. It’s silly but it made me smile. Hope it makes you smile too :)_

Once Remus’ coffee is ready, he walks over to his table and feels slightly guilty for the look of panic on his face, knowing that it’s because he’s delivering it instead of James. Sirius doesn’t know how to communicate that he’s not going to try to talk to him, so he simply places the coffee down in front of Remus, offers a friendly smile which Remus (who’s actively avoiding his gaze) doesn’t see and heads back to the coffee bar to where James is waiting for him with a shit-eating grin.

“What?” Sirius asks.

“You fancy him,” James all but sings.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sirius says, grabbing a cloth and wiping down the counter. “I don’t know anything about him. And stop laughing, I don’t want him to think we’re making fun of him.”

James schools his expression slightly, but there’s still a knowing look in his eye and it’s a million times more irritating than any customer he’s had to deal with so far.

Remus reads the cup and a smile quirks the corners of his lips, making his pale, drawn face brighten so beautifully, Sirius can’t help but stare for a moment.

He hates it when James is right.

***

He’s been working at The Daily Grind for seventeen days when he gets his first reply from Remus.

Things have been progressing slowly. Every time Remus comes in, Sirius writes him a little note on his coffee order, hands it to him with a smile, heads back to the coffee bar and makes it back just in time to catch Remus’ smile at that day’s fun fact. Sometimes he even gets him to laugh. On one or two occasions, when the shop has been relatively empty, Sirius hears Remus’ quiet giggles and the sound does strange things to Sirius’ heart each time.

He knows having a crush on someone he barely knows anything about and who’s too afraid to speak to him is ridiculous, but he can’t help it. There’s something about Remus Lupin and Sirius wants to earn the chance to know what it is.

Which is why Sirius is thrilled when, upon paying for his coffee with James as per usual, Remus slips Sirius a napkin onto which he seems to have scrawled a note. He’s further delighted when Remus looks right at him as he leaves and offers him a shy smile.

It’s such a small thing, but it feels like a monumental victory.

As soon as Remus has left the shop, Sirius smooths out the napkin to read what he’s written.

_Sirius_

_I just want to say thanks for being so kind to me. When Lily left I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come here anymore (even though she said she’d set something up) but you’ve made it so easy. I’ve always been a little bit obsessed with the coffee here, but I have to admit that my favourite part of this place now is the notes you write on my cup (even though I’m pretty sure you just make up your facts – there is absolutely no way cauliflower grows so fast that you can hear it growing, is there?)._

_– Remus_

Sirius smiles as he folds the note and places it carefully in his pocket and not even James’ knowing smirk can wipe it from his face.

***

Sirius has been working at The Daily Grind for forty eight days when he finally hears Remus speak for the first time. It’s the same day he decides he’s going to take the risk and just ask him out.

As he pens his usual coffee-cup note to Remus (who not only smiled at him today but also waved at them both as he arrived) he hopes he isn’t just misinterpreting Remus’ notes as flirting. There’s a definite something there – an ease in conversation that Sirius has only ever experienced with James before (and he has to admit that the two of them would likely be together if James wasn’t so hopelessly straight). And while he would normally wait until he was a hundred percent sure that Remus felt the same way, after Remus’ note yesterday he knows that he has to do it now.

He proofreads today’s note five more times to make sure that it’s perfect.

_Remus_

_You said in your note yesterday that I probably think you’re pathetic for being afraid of social interaction, but you’re completely wrong. I think you’re one of the bravest people I know. I mean, you’re so nervous around people that it takes you weeks to make eye contact with someone new, but you don’t ever let it hold you back. You could easily hide at home and only leave when you absolutely had to, but here you are in a public place day after day facing your fears. I respect the fuck out of you for that. And since we’re talking about being brave right now, today’s fact is that I fancy you. Like properly. And I understand if you’re not up to it or whatever, but God even if we just write each other notes on the napkins all night, I would love to take you out some time._

_Let me know either way x_

Satisfied with his handiwork, he pours the coffee into it, slips on the lid and walks carefully over to Remus, his heart rate increasing with every step. He sets the coffee down with a shaky hand and rushes back to the bar to where James is holding thumbs up for him. He’s not sure he wants to see Remus’ reaction to this one.

“Pads mate, relax. He’s smiling,” says James as Sirius busies himself with literally anything that will keep him from looking up at Remus.

“Is he writing anything?” asks Sirius.

“Er, no,” James replied. “He’s just drinking his coffee.”

“Shit.” He knows he should have waited. He’s always been a touch impulsive and impatient, and now he’s probably scared Remus off.

Sirius chances a glance up at him and is surprised to see that Remus is looking at him as he sips his coffee. This time it’s Sirius that breaks their gaze as he turns to busy himself with another customer’s order and he finds himself wishing that Remus would just hurry up and go so that he can carry on with the rest of his day in mortified peace.

“Oh, okay now he’s writing something!” says James and Sirius’ heart rate suddenly shifts into overdrive.

“Can you see what it says from here?” asks Sirius.

“No, but… oh my god here he comes.”

Sirius whips around to see Remus striding towards the coffee bar, with a sudden certainty and calm that Sirius has never seen there before. It makes his breath catch in his throat and his words feel backwards in his mind. To his surprise, instead of going to pay with James, Remus stops directly in front of him, takes a deep breath, and Sirius hears his voice for the first time.

“T-thanks for the coffee,” he says shyly. “I, er, I-I’d love to. Go out sometime, I mean. Here’s my number.”

Remus slides a napkin over the counter and that’s when Sirius knows that this is actually happening. He can’t help the grin overtaking his features and it worsens when Remus smile grows to match his own. He doesn’t even care that James is probably watching them with a smug smile. He and Remus are the only people in the world at that moment.

“Er, I-I should probably pay, right?” says Remus, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, but Sirius reaches out to stop him.

“Nah, it’s on the house,” he winks.

“If Sirius is paying, that technically makes this your first date,” James chimes in unhelpfully.

“Shut up, Prongs,” says Sirius as Remus blushes deeply. “Ignore him, he’s only acting out because Lily’s not here to keep him in line. I’ll text you with a time and place, yeah?”

“Alright,” smiles Remus. After saying goodbye to the two of them, Remus makes his way to the door of the shop, pausing only briefly to smile back at Sirius one last time. Sirius realises then and there that he’s a lot further gone than he thought he was.

He goes through the rest of the day in a delighted haze that only intensifies when, after texting Remus so that he’d have his number, he gets a text from Lily a few seconds later.

_Remus just told me. Break his heart, I break your kneecaps. (But really, I’m so happy for you both ♥)_

Knowing Remus is already telling his friends suddenly makes it so much more real.

He’s so happy, he’s practically on another plane of existence by the time he and James start locking up the shop, and he can’t help but think that out of all the forty eight days he’s been working here, this has been the best one.


End file.
